The Gift
by obsidians
Summary: Sephiroth gives Tifa a present and in the end she gives him one back. Yes I suck at summaries.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own FF7 or its characters and make no money for writing this story.

Tifa stepped into the cave behind the waterfall as warily as a wild animal being forced into a cage, she didn't wish to come to Lucercia's cave, a place she had never been and only knew about from Vincent and Cloud. Yet she felt an insistent summonings to go there as if drawn by a siren to a treacherous cove.

She looked for the first time upon the beautiful living-dead woman trapped within, her body seem to glow as she reposed inside her crystal chamber like a princess from a fairytale. The cave was lit by the makos lights undulated around her, giving the impression that the cave was underwater. "You came Miss Lockhart, or should I say Mrs. Strife" spoke a smooth voice that she had hoped never to hear again, just to the left of her.

"Sephiroth, so you are alive" she said without turning as a large dark clad figure silently joined her and both gazed as the ex-Shinra scientist. "Have you come to finish me?" she asked him, looking at him for the first time.

He kept his gaze trained upon his supposed mother, but denied it with a small shake of his head. "Tell me Mrs. Strife, do you see family resemblance in my countenance to her?" he said with a tiny gesture of his head.

Her gaze returned to the beautiful corpse, she knew she was in the presence of her greatest enemy, now returned again but somehow his unthreatening behaviour made her feel oddly calm, she turned to examine his profile and he turned to face her, looking deceptively like an ethereally beautiful angel. "Yes, you look like her" she agreed.

"They say she was my real mother. You know that I feel when I look at her?" he said with his arms crossed before his broad chest.

"No" she said, eyeing him curiously.

"Nothing, I thought I would feel rage upon seeing the human woman who did not value me enough to keep me or even pity for her, but I feel nothing. It is like I have no connection with her whatsoever. Yet she birthed me and chose this route over trying to win me back. That's a great testament to motherhood" he said without rancor as they continued to observe the woman.

"She was weak, I would have fought for you" Tifa observed and could have sworn she detected a slight smile on his lips before it flitted away.

"Yes you are truly strong in every sense of the word, you would make a great mother. Were it possible" Sephiroth agreed. "The damage I inflicted on you; it rendered your uterus sterile."

"How did you know?" she sharply said to him.

"Aerith heard you begging to the Goddess in the lifestream and dragged me back here along with herself and insisted I atone for that" he explained.

"Yes things are better now that Aerith is back" Tifa said trying to keep bitterness out of her voice.

"You're worried that your husband only married you out of fear of being alone? You think that he is cheating on you with her when claiming to be making deliveries long into the night? You have a right to think that: even now they make love in her church" Sephiroth said suddenly holding up some sort of clear globe that showed just the scene he had described where Aerith rode her husband.

"You tell lies!" Tifa cried out hotly in denial of this.

"Tell me, has he been colder towards you? Almost indifferent? Does he show no interest in you physically?" he questioned her in a somber voice.

"How did you know?" she asked him.

"You see all in the lifestream. Rest assured, Aerith did not mean to break up your marriage, she's lonely and Zack has long since been reborn. She longs to have a family and Cloud loves her and longs to have a family as well. It is not that you are any less attractive, nor kinder, nor less virtuous than she. Soon, they will tell you she carries his child" Sephiroth explained.

"But it can't be true" she said, digging her fingers painfully into her arms in denial of what she had long suspected.

"Yet, you know it is" Sephiroth said in the same even tone of voice, incapable of expressing sympathy. "It was for the sake of perhaps having a child that you married a man you were no longer sure of his feelings for yourself" he concluded, each sharp truth seeming to pierce her heart.

She looked sharply at him when he said this "even I, who cannot even begin to understand human emotions can see that this is what you long for the most: a child. How you treat people, how you tend to them when they are down, how you try to create a family environment for the people you care about; is a testament to how a real mother should be."

"So why have you summoned me here, to shatter the illusions about my life?" she demanded of him.

"To offer you what you desire, that which I took away from you. A child" he replied.

"But how? I have tried everything in existence?" she demanded as her heart hammered in her chest.

"You forget that I can cast spells from my body? I can cure your uterus and make you fertile again" he replied.

"So I can have my husband's baby?" she said with hope in her voice.

"There is a catch, as I am the only who can control the spell for conception, I have to be the one who impregnates you. It would be in the usual way I assure you" he said

"How can you even think that I would _ever_ accept you as the father of my child?" she said with her fists balled in anticipation of striking at the man.

"I won't harm you nor force myself upon you. The decision would have be yours and yours alone if you want to proceed with Aerith's gift. This offer shall be only made to you this one time" he explained. "See it as being retribution for my past sins towards you. I am strong and mainly human could give you a strong child, it wouldn't be enhanced the way I was nor would it have mako. I would do this for you because Aerith asked me to" Sephiroth explained.

"So she takes my husband and offers you in his place?" she bitterly said.

"No, I would not be involved other than from afar. If you lie with me tonight, a child will conceived between us but know the consequences, the child would have physical recognizable attributes of myself and certainly could not be passed off as your husband's child. What remains of your marriage will come to an end with your own infidelity as an excuse to end it. Your world will collapse and the people who care about you the most will likely turn their backs on you when they realize who the father of your child is. You will feel a betrayal that shall break your heart, that will be akin to what I suffered when I found out my entire life was a sham and all I was, was a creature created only for war. Yet I would offer you this gift from my body. Knowing all this, would you chose to carry this child who itself will suffer based on who its father is?" he asked her.

"I don't know" she said, feeling troubled, yet the idea of holding a child born of her own body was so tempting. But was it worth literally making a deal with the devil and having to lie with her enemy to conceive with him?

"See it as being a curse and gift at the same time. But know this, although Aerith asked me to do this, I wouldn't offer if I didn't feel you weren't strong enough. I know you're not like her, you would have fought for me and would have never accepted this fate. You would do the same for our child. I need your answer, I do not wish to tarry in her presence anymore than necessary. The sight just reminds me of what was taken from me" he said.

Tifa's mind warred between what was being offered and the entire life she'd built collapsing like a house of cards around her. "I accept" she finally said.

"Very well, take off your clothes" he said and yet he did nothing more than undo his trench and open his pants in order to remove his sizable engorged weapon and she shivered a bit at the sight.

Tifa felt strange as she lay exposed under him, he made no attempt to prepare her, yet her sheath was well lubricated as he slowly and methodically entered her. She could feel beneath her exposed skin the soft, damp bed of moss he had placed her on and the almost metallic smell of the water rushing over the cave's entrance, she shivered, yet her body felt heated. His soft hair brushed her flesh from where he hovered just out of range of her and allowed her not even a kiss as his heavy tool penetrated her depths with barely a sound from himself and a cry of pleasure-pain from her at the sheer size of him.

He held himself apart from her body with his hands extended on either side of her head, so they were connected only at their groins. She gasped and writhed beneath him, the bulk of him driving her loudly to shameful orgasms as she tried to pull him closer, yet he resisted, his face impassive as ever and only a slight hitching of his breath betrayed his own sexual enjoyment. Sephiroth's lovemaking was methodical, almost clinical as if he was trying to simply deposit something inside her and virtually noiseless. It was like he was feeling nothing, experiencing nothing.

He resisted all of her attempts of kissing and touching him, finally getting impatient with the woman, he flipped her so she was on her hands and knees and began taking her again at an unhurried pace. He let out a tiny moan before he caught himself, that her new position allowed him a deeper penetration of her. His still gloved hands captured her dangling breasts and kneaded them while he hurried his pace and then she locked onto him and cried out for all she was worth and this caused him to clench his teeth against his own embarrassing cries as his eyes rolled and his own stream met hers.

He pulled himself out of her and righted himself as he sat beside her. "You have conceived a child. I can still halt the process if you wish" he said in a calm voice as she lay back, not feeling embarrassed about her nudity in the least.

"No, I will fight for this child and keep it safe. I won't end up like her" she said as she looked at the person who failed Sephiroth from the beginning.

"It won't be easy. Many will turn from you. You will know a loneliness the likes of which you can't fathom" he said standing up.

"Like you did?" she concluded, standing up as well and getting redressed.

"No he will have you" he said. "That is more than I ever had" he said.

"Where are you going?" she asked him.

"I'll find some safe place to live out my existence, you shan't see me again. It is better this way, an innocent child can win hearts that long to destroy me. It is rather strange that I just willing gave you what I denied so many, it was enjoyable but not a pivotal experience as I was led to believe" was all he had to say on the subject of sex.

"You didn't do it right" Tifa said.

"Pardon me? I am perfectly aware of the process by which a child is conceived and it certainly worked" he said raising his elegant eyebrows at her audacity.

"You took all of the love out of lovemaking" Tifa explained.

"Then pray tell me what I did wrong?" he asked her and was shocked when she grabbed the collar of his trench and pulled him into slow, clinging open mouthed kiss that he instantly got lost in as he found himself kissing her back. Her arms eased around him while his own dangled at his sides, while she fisted one hand into his hair and stroked the nap of his neck, until he came back to himself and leaned sharply back while wiping his mouth.

"How is _that_ supposed to help impregnate a woman?" he asked her, looking sharply at her .

"It has more to do with showing someone you care" she said. "One day you will find someone you love so much you will want to kiss them" she predicted

"Highly doubtful. Good bye Mrs. Strife, it certainly has been interesting" he said and flew away without a backwards glance.

Everything had gone just as Sephiroth had predicted as soon as Renji was born. Cloud took one look at the silver haired and green cat-eyed baby that Tifa never denied wasn't his and filed for divorce and she didn't ask for anything or challenge the divorce. Aerith and Cloud married soon after with their own young green eyed and blonde baby at the ceremony that everyone but Tifa was invited to.

Her friends all turned their backs on her in disgust and she sold the bar and moved to a small farm house that she suddenly inherited from an unknown Aunt, along with a fairly sizable estate that would keep her fairly comfortable, along with the proceeds of sale from her bar. She, being such a people person thought she would be lonely but she had young son to look after, whom she had named Renji Lockhart. She didn't know Sephiroth's last name nor cared to inquire about it, as far as she was concerned, the child was hers alone.

She kept busy gardening and caring for Renji and even bought some chickens, so she had fresh eggs daily. One by one her friends came to her to apologize and meet her son. Renji as he started to grow over the next couple of months, he showed no sign of being different from any other babies, So Tifa treated him as such. Figuring she had Vincent to help should anything supernatural manifest itself...and Sephiroth as she sometimes sensed him watching over them. But he didn't attempt to approach them and she was fine with that. Except for the secret visits he made to Renji that she chose to ignore.

Tifa had put Renji down for the night, covering him with a light quilt she had made herself as she had taking to handmaking his clothes and blankets. She gently smoothed back his baby soft hair in a way that never failed to make him droozy, it was quite abundant for his tender age of four months old. She could see herself in his face, but he needed time to grow to truly establish his features, they were still babyish and constantly changing. However, he had never had the blue eyes of a newborn, his skin tone was closer to Tifa's and she considered that a blessing. Having a child as pale as Sephiroth would mean forever chasing him around with sunscreen.

She admired her son, he was an adorable baby with chubby cheeks and as healthy and agreeable a temperament as you could hope for in a child. She turned on his musical mobile and the little mogs spun around before his clear crystalline sleepy green eyes. She paused and wondered if Sephiroth's own had ever looked so innocent and danced when he laughed. So much she didn't know about him but she wasn't worried, she had a feeling that he would be back someday and custody arrangements would be discussed, he was his father after all. She flicked out the lights and went to do the dishes before turning in herself.

Sephiroth silently let him into the window and walked noiselessly to the crib and his son opened his eyes and grinned at him toothlessly and excitedly waved his limbs around to see him. Sephiroth smiled down at him in a way that could only have been described as tenderly and reached down and carefully picked up the excitedly wiggling child. "Hi Renji" he softly said as he sat down and held him and leaned over and kissed him on his baby soft cheek. He wondered how such a tiny scrap of human life could cause his heart to ache. He looked about the room, it was well appointed and his son obviously healthy and well taken care of, everything he could hope for. He stayed for about half an hour and then tucked his son back into his crib and resolved that he would never be back again as he flew away, as he had many times before but couldn't seem to stay away from him.

Tifa was personally aware of each time Sephiroth visited but allowed him the privacy, he was obviously in love with his son and meant him no harm. She went to check on him hours later, in need of relieving her bladder and was almost shocked to find a haggard looking Sephiroth asleep in her rocking chair with Renji still asleep in his arms."Sephiroth?" She said just loudly enough to wake him, knowing better then startle the man-warrior for fear of her son's life rather than her own.

He opened his eyes and seemed not sure where he was. She gently took the still sleeping Renji out of his arms and tucked him back into his crib.

"Sorry, I fell asleep. I know I have no right to be here" Sephiroth apologized and went to leave.

He was halted in his tracks when she took his arm. "You have every right to be here, he's your son and you paid for all of this. I'm onto you, I don't have an eccentric maiden aunt and never have, my people are not from money. Did you even keep enough for yourself to live on?" She asked him.

"What are you talking about?" He demanded of her.

"You look exhausted, your hair smells like smoke and I bet you have been surviving on army rations you have stored away somewhere" she guessed and he drew back sharply at her accurate guesses.

"You are wrong" he said with a smirk.

"You did this for your child as any father would" she said.

"How dare you..." He said.

"You love him, that is normal. A baby is not like a package you can just deliver. You will want to be with him. It's time to come home" she said.

"Home? I have no home" he said, drawing back.

"You said you needed an isolated place, it doesn't get more isolated then this. The place isn't that big but can fit three people just fine" she said indicating to the house.

"You would try and claim me?" He said, affronted.

"No, not for me; for him. He will want to know his father simply because you are his father and will love you too. Also, he you never know what he will manifest later. You can live with him, you can watch him grow up" she said spelling it out for him.

"So you have the audacity to suggest I become your new Cloud?" He snapped.

"We can co-parent, you don't have to be romantically involved for that, there is a bed in the shed that can be set up in the last available bedroom, that can be put there tomorrow and I have plenty of linen for it. Living arrangements can be agreed on in the morning. For tonight, it's too late to worry about this stuff. Come to my bed, the couch certainly is not big enough for you and you have been living rough and need a proper night's sleep.

"You expect another child?" He asked her with a naivety that made her smile.

"I propose sleep, some snuggling perhaps and that is it. I promise to keep my marauding hands to myself," she promised him.

"I'm not wearing much of anything under my uniform" he hesitantly said.

"Go take a shower and get some food from the kitchen while I feed Renji. We'll get your stuff from wherever you are staying tomorrow and get you soon new clothes. You certainly can't keep on wearing cold leather and metal around him, you might injure him" she said and purposely bared her breasts to feed Renji and any objections died in his throat in his embarrassment and he fled.

Fifteen minutes later, he lay in bed fully nude and firmly on his side facing towards the outside of the bed and struggling not to sleep, yet the sheets were clean and the mattress cradled him perfectly and the soft pillow supported his weary head just so. He was more than half asleep when Tifa crawled into bed and looped an arm around his waist and settled her body against his back, she didn't do much more then drape her arms upwards and take his unresisting hand in her own. She still wore the sleep shirt from earlier and he was grateful for this.

"What if you want more from me later on?" He questioned her.

"What if you do?" She asked him. "Don't worry about it for now, time will tell. You get to feed Renji bananas in the morning, he loves bananas and can spend as much time with him as you want. Just go to sleep?" She said and impulsively reached out and starting stroking his hair to see if it had the same effect on Renji's father as it did her son; it did.

"So tired" he admitted as their combined body warmth settled into the covers and lulled him even further to sleep and the smell of her breast milk, that he had smelled so often on the sweet breath of his son, soothed him just as much as the gentle strokes on his head.

"So sleep" she urged him softly, daring to press a kiss to his temple and he surrendered to slumber and slept for the first time trustingly in another person's arms.


	2. Chapter 2

Tifa smiled at Sephiroth when he came in from taking a walk in the snow with the now six month old Renji, it wasn't bitterly cold by any means but both were pink cheeked upon their return. Tifa unwrapped happily babbling Renji from his snowsuit to the tune of his "ma mas, ba bas and da das" and took off the blue dog ears cap she had knitted for him that "humiliated" him according to Sephiroth.

Sephiroth went to put the sled away in the shed and then stamped the snow from his snow boots and took them off and removed his own winter coat, both of which were black of course, but for some reason he had chosen them with yellow edging on both. The hat she had knitted for him was plain black and he had worn that with black leather fur lined gloves. He stowed his winter gear in the closet and wore underneath a black sweater she had also knitted for him and blue jeans. "Is it cold out?" she said him.

"Only a little" he said, handing over his gloves to her, knowing how she liked to keep them close to the fire so they remained warm. Her hand accidently touched his, "your hands are like ice" she chided him and started chafing his large hands between her own and he frowned at her forwardness.

"I kept my gloves off for the most part because I find the rope for the sled clumsy to hold onto" he said, drawing them back from her.

Tifa caught herself, "sorry" she said. Although Sephiroth and herself had lived together for two months, he was still iffy about being touched. Certainly nothing physical had occurred between them. He seemed to be very careful about that. She knew him to be guarded from his earlier life and didn't share his emotions easily, his love for their son was much easier for him to express. "Would you like some hot chocolate?" she asked him as she set Renji down in his playpen.

"Sure, there is something I must discuss with you. I have been thinking of the best way to tell you because I am unsure how you would take the news" he said wrapping his hands around the mug Tifa gave him, glad of the warmth of it and yet not really wanting to have to look at her as she took a seat beside him.

"What is it?" she asked him.

He took sip of it, always enjoying how Tifa gave him an extra dollop of whipped cream on top of his. It was one of the many things he had come to appreciate about her over the course their cohabitation arrangement. He sensed sometimes that she would like to have a closer relationship with him but he wasn't ready for that. Tifa was a touchy feely person and thought nothing of offering small touches, nothing intimate. Just standing a little too close to him, taking his hand for no reason and gave him hugs, but he would freeze at her touch. Yet he did like her as more than a friend/roommate as he appeared to her. "I was contacted by Rufus, he asked me to take on an important mission" he explained.

"But I thought you were retired" she said in confusion.

"I contacted him and volunteered my services. I have to bring money in, I can't keep on sponging off of you. I have a son to support after all" he reminded her.

"You regard yourself as merely sponging of me?" she said and looked away, but not before he could have sworn he saw a flash of hurt in her burgundy eyes.

"I live with you in your house and eat at your table, I don't wish to be a burden. I am still a man and need to make a living. I am going to do this whatever you say" he said with finality in his voice.

"Is it dangerous?" she asked him.

"Not to me it shouldn't be, to a common man, perhaps" he said with a shrug.

His eyes narrowed at her when she stood up "you would put yourself in danger when you have a fam-son who can't even walk yet? You are not sponging off of me, you provided all of this for us. This is your home. Why can't you accept that?" she snarled at him.

"I think you forget who I am, I am virtually unkillable. I am going on this mission and whatever more come my way or did you think I would be content forever playing house with you and doing work around here? I am still a man and must provide for the both of you" he said rising to his feet so he loomed over her.

"Playing house? That really how you see the situation? Fine go get yourself killed, see if I care" she raged at him and then looked down in shock at how he took her hand and held her in place.

"I have given this a lot of thought and insisted on certain conditions. They will pay benefits if yourself or Renji are need of anything. They are to pay for private schooling when he is of age and finally, you will get a huge death benefit if anything should happen to me, you on the policy as you are my-son's guardian as well as him being named my heir. Isn't this what you wanted, security for our son?" He asked her. "I didn't do this strictly for selfish reasons. I shall come back if that is what you are worried about" he finding himself wondering if she was personally concerned about him.

"You had better; your son needs you" she said, their relationship too delicate to add, I need you. "When do you leave?" she asked him.

"The day after tomorrow, I'll be back in three weeks" he said.

"So you'll miss Christmas?" she asked him through narrowed eyes.

He nodded, "I'll be back a few days afterwards. I know you were so excited about it being Renji's first Christmas with a turkey and a tree and all of that, but I have to do this. I'm still a man and the military will always be a part of me" he dismissively said.

She squared her shoulders, "I will see to your armor and packing for your mission" she said struggling to keep the disappointment out of her voice. She had been excited about all that for Renji's sake but also that it would be Sephiroth's first time decorating a tree and celebrating anything as a family. Which she regarded them as being; which he clearly did not.

"That isn't necessary, I can see to my own uniform" he told her.

"I understand, General. Dinner shall be chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy and home grown peas. Is that okay?" she asked him.

"Of course, you know I enjoy whatever you cook" he said wondering why she seemed to be so mad. She still got to be with Renji for the holidays, who was the most important person to her and she had people coming who were just learning to accept his presence in their lives. She should be glad he was gone. Yet she didn't seem to be, if anything she seemed...disappointed.

He stood before her wearing his uniform on the day he was leaving and gave Renji a hug goodbye. "I'll be back before you know it and shall call you" he said, handing her back their son. Suddenly he didn't want to leave, it was like he was paralyzed in place.

He had been a constant voyeur in Tifa's life after they had conceived Renji and then to them both.

He had even been in the hospital the night Renji was born. It had taken all of his courage to causally enter a hospital in disguise. Oddly enough, getting into the hospital had been surprisingly easy. He had bought a pair of generic blue coloured scrubs and a matching scrub cap that he had worn over his own long hair pulled back into a ponytail and temporarily dyed black, along with his eyebrows. Wearing a pair of tinted eyeglasses, no one even looked at him twice at how the hospital florescent lighting washed out everyone's complexion and how half of the people present were sickly pale anyway.

He hadn't managed to witness all of the birth, he had arrived just in time to witness stretched out parts of Tifa he didn't want to think about as Renji emerged into the world. She had looked beautiful but exhausted and laughed when the small boy was placed into her arms and she immediately said his name. It had taken all of his strength not to get closer as she counted tiny fingers and toes and smiled at him so lovingly that Sephiroth felt almost embarrassed to witness it and idly wondered if his own mother had even given him a glance before handing him off to be abused by his father in the name of science. He had followed the hospital bassinet as Renji was wheeled to the nursery to be cleaned and examined. Sephiroth had waited until the nurse was done and then put her into a light sleep by way of a spell.

Gently he picked up his son seeing how he had inherited his hair from the fringe on his head and then his eyes opened and Sephiroth felt such a tugging at his heart that he had never experienced before as he emitted a cute sound and seized one his fingers in a tiny, but surprisingly strong fist. From the moment, Sephiroth was lost.

He had felt the urge to flee into the night with Renji to protect him from the world, but had made a promise to his mother and knew nothing about raising children. Instead, he had allowed himself a kiss, put him back into his bassinet and awoke the kindly nurse to return him back to his mother. He had been a little irked that he didn't have any of his own information added to Renji's birth certificate but he supposed that his destruction of her family, her hometown and almost her own self, might have had something to do with that.

So he stood before her looming and looking as cold and imperious as anything to her, while his ire tamped down his anxiety to be parted from the pair for so long, at least before he could peek into their lives anytime he wanted.

"Goodbye" she said standing with her arms at her sides, afraid to touch him less she burst into tears and refuse to release him while he wondered why the normally touchy feely woman couldn't even spare him a hug in goodbye.

"Sir, we have to go" the driver called to him.

"I'll call you later" he said and left, Tifa almost collapsed because she had been using anger and indifference to conceal her worry for him. Yes he was hard to kill based on his physical makeup and had been in and out of lifestream like a yoyo, but that hadn't mattered when he was her enemy. How had she come to care about him so much in so short a time? Yes he wasn't great socially, but had proven himself be a good father who clearly adored his son and Renji loved him back, that was certainly clear. What he thought about Tifa herself was a mystery.

Sephiroth thought he would be in his element to be back into the middle of a mission, he was given a large tent for his exclusive use with men well trained to command, all of whom had military backgrounds like himself, but he was miserable and cursed himself for getting so used to soft living. Quickly realizing that he was the only enhanced man there, he gave himself the hardest creatures to kill and slept little and injury became normal thing for him. He talked to Tifa when he could and lied about how he was as he nursed broken limbs and ribs that would be good as new in the morning, but healed painfully as bones slowly adjusted and knit back into place. His uniform soon had to be retired for repairs and he started wearing regular military combats.

Christmas was painful for him when Tifa had him on a phone for a long time and sent him pictures from Christmas where everyone looked to be having so much fun. Pictures of a crawling Renji being trapped in a box surrounded by wrapping paper with a bow stuck to his head. His ex-enemy's mugging for the camera while they ate a turkey dinner. A picture of the new angel tree topper that Tifa had been giving him mocking hints of surprise about; it had been modeled after him! He found it a tad insulting, but amusing at the same time. He found himself wishing to be home as he came to the one of Cid and Barret breaking the wishbone, which was strange, he wasn't that close to either of them. Cid was always muttering about a cow and Sephiroth getting the milk for free. When he had asked Tifa about what he meant, she explained that he was getting all the perks of being with her without having to marry her. That gave him pause. People had alluded to the fact that parents of a child should be married. But Tifa had never made a mention of it, so he assumed she wasn't interested.

One day he was flipping through pictures on his phone when he discovered the exact effect Tifa had on other men. Yes he knew she was attractive, it had certainly made the "task" Aerith had assigned to him easier. A soldier had looked over his shoulder. "Is that Tifa Lockhart?" He asked him and Sephiroth turned his frozen glare on him.

"Yes it is" he said with a challenge in his voice.

"Oh she really gets around. I used to go into her bar all the time. Who could you ever forget those long legs. Those huge..." He said with a sigh in his voice.

"Those huge what?" Sephiroth interrupted him with a threat in his own voice.

"Come on...wait why is she holding a baby?" The soldier asked him. "A baby with silver hair" he said suddenly turning to study Sephiroth.

"That would be our son" Sephiroth deadpanned.

"Huge eyes, what a lovely woman. You're a lucky man, sir. She's perhaps one of the prettiest women in the world" he said as he visibly sweated.

Sephiroth turned his eyes back to Tifa's picture and then realized as if for the first time how beautiful she actually was, that other men of course would desire her. Men who weren't emotionally stunted and had far better social skills than himself could steal her away from him and claim her and his son as their own due to his own lack of commitment. Suddenly he felt anxious to see her. It was going to be a long mission he realized as suddenly most deadly of creatures seemed harmless next to some of her more attractive bachelor friends.

 _Finally Home_

Tifa and Renji met him at the door in greeting on Sephiroth's return. Tifa could tell Sephiroth was exhausted after returning from his mission by how he returned her hug. He still wore his combat clothing and had his hair back in a long ponytail. He hugged Renji who leaned out of her arms in order to get to him and inhaled his sweet scent, he managed to wipe away an exhausted tear of just being glad to be home against the baby's soft clothing. He didn't like when he was like this, his emotions were always too close to the surface when he was dead on his feet. He didn't even complain when Tifa stepped into his other arm for a group hug and he lay his cheek against the top of her head.

"Come on" she said and he followed Tifa into the kitchen and she carefully removed his hair tie and fanned her fingers through his hair in a way that would have made him run anyone through with his sword that dared touch him so familiarly. Yet he just sighed at her tender touch as she started rubbing his temples against the headaches she knew were induced by his lack of sleep. He turned to look down at her. "Are you okay? You look exhausted" she asked him as she wrapped her arms around him and he allowed it, just grateful to be home as he held her breathed in the familiar scent of her skin though her clothes and almost fell asleep.

"I'm fine" he said, leaning back trying not to allow the fatigue he felt to show but failed miserably. She knew him too well for that. He looped his arm around her as they walked up the stairs and she ran him a bath while he picked out causal clothes to wear. But he helped her put Renji down for the night after he bathed.

"You should go to sleep" she suggested.

"Can I sleep with you?" He asked her.

"Of course, but first I want to give you a Christmas gift. I have others, but this is your main one" she said leading him into her room and she watched in anticipation while he unwrapped it.

"It's Renji's birth certificate. I've already seen it" when he registered there was something different about it, Renji's last name was now Crescent-Lockhart and he was listed as being his father.

"But why?" He asked her.

"At the time he was born, you weren't in his life and I didn't know if you even had a last name. You are now his father in every respect and that deserves to be acknowledged. "Let's put you to bed" she said.

"Sleep can wait. I need to be with you" he said and she wondered how much it took to make the proud man admit this.

"I have something for you too" he said, going to get it.

"What is it?" she said opening the velvet box to find a beautiful heart shaped locket with a garnet set into. She opened it to find pictures of two identical faces in it. Sepiroth's was on the right side and he was actually smiling and Renji's was on the left side.

"The garnet is for Renji''s birth month stone and I hope you don't think me too presumptuous to put my picture in, we can exchange it for a picture of you" he said feeling nervous at how long she studied it and looked shapely at her when she sniffled.

"It's so beautiful" she said hugging him and tucking part of his bangs behind his ear. "This is perfect" she assured him because both people were already in her own heart and she wondered when he had gotten there."My gift is practically nothing compared to yours" she said as he helped her put it on.

"There is another gift you can give to me then" he said as he pulled her towards the bed and she felt kind of shy when he started taking her clothes off.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" She asked him as he undressed himself.

"Show me how to make love the right way" he said pushed her back and revelled in the feeling of her soft skin pressing against his own and surrendered to her softness.

Tifa's legs latched around his waist as he nudged forward and his eyes slid shut to be buried in her liquid tightness as it gripped in him a familiar way again and he felt like he was home for the first time as he moved in her and she sobbed out his name. Her hands rested on his back, stroking him as if to sooth him as she sighed and undulated beneath his own writhing body.

It felt perfect to him, the first time had been only out of duty and he had removed as little of his clothing as possible and tried to be stoic but now he didn't even try and control the volume of his own cries as he gave himself to her completely as she clenched onto him with each orgasm.

He loved how her slim, taunt body felt beneath his and he took full dominance of it, giving her the rhythmic pumping she needed in order to reach her climaxes. Tonight would not be a long encounter, he was too tired and longed to fall asleep in her arms. If he found it ironic that he, who had never shared a bed with anyone, had trouble sleeping when not in her arms. He just didn't think about this, it was just another part of their relationship dynamics.

He rolled them she could take the top to bring them to completion and she rode him through another orgasm as the feeling in own his groin tightened and he released himself into her depths in a satisfying burst and she lay on top of him and he cuddled her. His neutral face was anything but after making love and his eyes seem to soften as they looked at her."I've missed you" she told him.

"I've missed you too" he said, deeply kissing her. Then he suddenly turned serious, "Tifa, I have been thinking about the milk thing Cid is always muttering around me. When you said perks, you meant this didn't you?" He asked her.

"Yes" she admitted.

"What if you wanted, we could have a small ceremony, you know just friends and family and a priest of some description? I wouldn't object. I mean it makes sense, we already have a child" he said.

"Do you love me?" She challenged him back.

"I don't know how to love or what it is supposed to feel like. I mean, I love Reni but to love a child is easy. With you, I hate being away from you. I want to stab any man who even looks at you. I cannot picture my life without you. You gave me the family I thought I would never have, you gave me a reason for living and you make me happy. I thought home was a place to sleep simply that until you invited me into yours. I'm not good with flowery prose but everything I have in life is yours, ask for the moon for you and I would try everything in my power to get it for you. I don't to be without you or Renji ever, if that is love, then I guess I love you" he said with such sincerity in his voice that she felt like crying.

"Well Renji could use some brothers and sisters" she said by way of acceptance.

"Just give me a couple of hours of sleep and we can start on that" he promised her and flopped into a corpse-like sleep, she gently tucked him in and tenderly brushed his hair away from his face. Putting on a bathrobe over her bare skin where she had worn only her new locket to bed, she picked up her PHS to go call Yuffie to tell her that they needed to start planning her wedding before Sephiroth changed his mind.


	3. Chapter 3

This is the end of this story, my friends. This chapter was co-written with sakurablossomhime and I thank her deeply for doing the lions share and all the time spent making my grammar read better.

Sid, read and review if you love us!

Vincent donned his tuxedo and went to check on Sephiroth in the suite rented for the night before the normally stoic man's wedding. On Yuffie's insistence, he wasn't allowed to spend the night before his wedding with Tifa.

He had thought that odd as after all, they co-habituated, had a child, and it was recently confirmed that Tifa was pregnant again. He hadn't even had to spell her this time; it had simply happened naturally during one of their trysts.

Yuffie had tried to explain to him that it was bad luck for them to spend the night together and insisted that Vincent and her boyfriend, Tseng find somewhere else for him for the night, since he was banned from Tifa.

That thought didn't sit well with him. He was…possessive of what he loved.

He couldn't see Tifa before their wedding, that was written into some sort of stone. Sephiroth had inquired why as he certainly knew what she looked like. This is how he discovered with frightening accuracy, that behind Yuffie's sweet and cheerful, almost flighty demeanor, lurked the sadist heart of a prisoner of war camp guard and he was treated to a bleak sounding it just isn't done. At Sephiroth's genuinely bewildered and alarmed look to Yuffie's answer, Vincent found a suitcase, packing some clothes and toiletries for Sephiroth and Tseng, then called local hotels to book a suite for all three men for the night.

So Sephiroth's bachelor night consisted of dinner with both men and several rousing games of chess with the men, where he promptly trounced both their collective butts. There was very little alcohol consumed with the groom's low tolerance of it due to Mako and the idea of strippers being ordered never occurred to any of the three highly intellectual men. So they were all up early and bright eyed and bushytailed for the wedding, which wouldn't occur for hours.

Tseng got called up for duty to look after Renji while Yuffie and Tifa got facials and had their hair and makeup done at a local salon.

He didn't know anything about babysitting. He had never even been in the same room with a child and thought to treat it as a benign action, he couldn't have been more wrong.

He said goodbye to the other men, who had decided to spend a leisure morning visiting local museums and they offering to pick up the tuxes for all three of them.

Vincent accompanied the Sephiroth around, who was unaware that he was in the presence of his own father, and he did his best in keeping him distracted from prewedding jitters, and trying not to smile that other TURK was about to get a crash course in dealing with very young children.

Tseng could only stare at the child of the Fallen Angel.

He had been flabbergasted when Yuffie had told him Tifa had had Sephiroth's child. He'd pictured a darkly smirking pint sized version of the tall man, wearing a leather onesie modeled after his own uniform and sucking on a soother. So it had been slightly disappointing to meet the eight-month old who wore an outfit with some kind of dinosaur on it.

Yes, he had his father's eyes, but they were large and guileless. He also had his father's…hair in a silvery Mohawk and it was just as 'baby' fine, though quite abundant for his tender age. His language and mobile skills were advanced for his age but he regarded Tseng with nothing but curiosity as he clung to his mother's hand on their introduction and then walked over to his father to be lifted into his arms and studied Tseng as if calmly accepting his presence into his fairly isolated life with only his own parents with him normally. He had seemed a calm child.

Tseng had been astounded to actually witness the sight of Sephiroth with a family who obviously cared about him with Renji seeming to gravitate towards him and Sephiroth and Tifa's clinging kiss when they were about to be separated for the first time in months.

Tseng was let into the small house and was given strict instructions about what not to give Renji as snacks and all the phone numbers she could be reached at and with instructions to her son to "pay attention to what Uncle Tseng said." With that they were off, leaving Tseng with the frowning infant, having never heard about this supposed Uncle of his.

He didn't seem impressed by him, Tseng felt.

Actually Renji wasn't, he didn't know why his beloved Daddy had been taken away and this tall, cold seeming stranger was put in his place and he had been instructed to listen to him.

"Where is my Daddy?" he asked him with sentence structure that should have been beyond his young age.

"He'll be home soon. Your parents are getting married today and he's not supposed to see your mother before their wedding" Tseng said, leaning over him in an imposing way that the child didn't appreciate at all, not knowing to get to the child's level in comfort of them.

Renji frowned at him in a way that reminded him of Sephiroth and in a voice reminiscence of his father asked "Why?"

"It's tradition" Tseng explained.

"What's tra-di-tion?" Renji asked him, sounding out the word on his tongue.

"Something that is just done a certain way based on beliefs" he explained, having a feeling that the little boy didn't get it. "It's bad luck for your father to see your mother until they marry" he tried again.

"But they see each other every day" Renji said in a baffled voice.

"It's a special day, that is why you get to wear the tux that looks like your daddy's and carry their rings for when they marry" Tseng explained. "It's a good thing"

"But I want to see my Daddy" Renji said with tears bubbling in his voice. Tseng sighed and felt it was going to be a long day.

Renji's time spent with "Uncle" Tseng wasn't fun for him at all, his attempts to play hide and seek with him failed miserably while he hid and the man frantically searched for the child. Tseng was positive he would have to tell the martial artist who could punch grown men through walls and her ex-homicidal maniac groom-to-be that someone had actually kidnapped their…bundle of joy. The said child had failed to tell him that they were playing the game. It was only after the quivering child indignantly emerged for his hiding place, complaining he didn't play fair, that Tseng even knew they had been playing anything at all.

So Renji tried to get him to play with his teddy bears but Tseng just sat there holding it stiffly before him while Renji tried to get Tseng's bear to interact with his own by talking in a voice supplied by himself, but Tseng's refused to speak to him and the man himself just seemed to be stupefied by the activity. Renji did his own version of realizing it was going to be a long day by missing his Mommy and Daddy and hoped they wouldn't take to getting married everyday if it meant he had to spend time with his boring Uncle.

Meanwhile

Vincent was enjoying meeting the Sephiroth as he was supposed to be as a person and was enjoying hearing about his life as a father and soon to be husband and realized he was truly in love and wanted to be with Tifa.

This made Vincent happy.

"Tifa knits clothes for you?" He stated more than asked him.

"Yes, she seems to like to do that" he said with a shrug. "So what is the new exhibit at the war museum?"

Vincent opened the brochure and went pale when he saw a wax statue true to life, dressed like Sephiroth when he wore his uniform, complete with a long, silvery hair and holding his sword, Masamune with a crazed look on it's face. Above the spectacle it simply read 'Sephiroth: The Demon General of Wutai'.

"This has become monotonous. There is a great and rare book shop that serves High Tea, let's go there instead" Vincent suggested bypassing the question, an action Sephiroth did catch but did not press on. He somehow knew the answer would have been…upsetting and had a good idea of what Vincent protected him from. After all, it was a war museum.

"High tea? Isn't that something you do with really young children?" Sephiroth asked with a frown as he came back to the current offer at hand.

"They have ten different types of small sandwiches as well as cakes and scones with clotted cream" Vincent offered.

"That sounds…promising" Sephiroth concurred, thinking of the mini cakes and Vincent silently blessed Leviathan that he got a day to themselves. To get to know Sephiroth now and sane…was balm for his own internal pain from before. How many fathers could say they'd done a manhunt…for their own broken child? Vincent sighed the thought away and Sephiroth followed him trustingly away from the insulting exhibit that might have hurt him more than he needed to suffer now.

Renji and the Clueless TURK

"I'm sorry Honey, Tifa's heel broke and we have to wait to get it repaired. Could you give Renji his lunch and then get him into his tux?" Yuffie asked a long suffering Tseng.

Renji just glared at him from where he was playing with his cars, he had the other ones crowded around him so the irritating man couldn't touch them.

Tseng sighed as he recognized the stubborn expression from his father and decided it was true what they said about apples and trees.

Tifa got on the phone and gave him instructions and made him promise under no circumstances that he would give him cookies, it would make him hyper for the wedding.

"Are you hungry?" he asked the tot as he got out the pre-prepared pasta for his lunch and heated it up.

"Cookie?" he asked him hopefully.

"You will eat this and you can have all the goldfish crackers you want afterwards" Tseng said with finality in his voice that would have caused any TURK to snap to, as he burnished the plastic spoon in the shape of a hippo towards the child in his highchair.

Renji had already had enough of Tseng.

He missed his parents and where were his airplane sounds while being fed?

So with a dexterity that bellied his age, he lashed out at the spoon and crossed his arms in satisfaction that the pasta now coated Tseng's face and luxurious hair.

The underside of Tseng's right eye just twitched away.

Meanwhile

"This was a great idea; I've been looking for a first edition of this book" Sephiroth complimented Vincent.

"More tea?" he asked him.

"Sure, we have time and let's get another plate of cakes. I must say, I find your company more pleasant then I thought I would." Sephiroth said holding out his cup.

Vincent internally laughed at the boy's massive sweet tooth…inherited from him.

"The pleasure is all mine" Vincent said flashing him a rare smile.

The Brat

Somehow Tseng got Renji fed and then had to shower them both free of pasta, a task neither enjoyed. Finally came the task of dressing him in the miniature tux, for him to act as a tiny ring bearer.

This task apparently involved chasing the fleet footed child around.

Finally, Tseng caught him and sat him down.

"What do you want to allow me to get you ready?" he demanded warily, trying to negotiate with him as he normally did in hostile situations.

"Four cookies" he said.

"Two cookies and I won't tell your parents how badly you behaved. You wouldn't want to be sent into time out" Tseng volunteered and he just nodded.

It was an adorable Renji that ran into his mother's arm.

"Oh Renji, you look so handsome" she said as swept him up in her arms. She had expected to come home to a frazzled Tseng and a half dressed child. Instead he looked neat, clean, and fed and ready to fulfill his role in their wedding. "Did you behave?"

"He was a perfect angel" Tseng lied straight faced, one that Yuffie caught and just laughed in her hands while Renji smiled innocently at her.

"I'll keep you in mind as a babysitter, you sure have a way with children" Tifa said and he inwardly winced and excused himself to go back to the hotel to put on his tux so Tifa and Yuffie could get into their wedding attire.

He slightly cringed when Tifa said Renji could have a cookie for his good behavior just as he left.

Tseng tried to be polite as possible as the other two men told him of their own relaxing afternoon, after his own of dealings with Daddy's Little Monster, but eventually went to change.

Vincent turned his attention to where Sephiroth seemed to be struggling with his tie.

"Do you want some help?" he asked him.

"If you don't mind? I'm all thumbs at the moment" he said.

"Are you nervous?" he asked him as he swiftly tied it for him.

"Yes, I guess that must seem pretty outlandish seeing as I am already with Tifa and am committed to her in every way. We already have one child and another on the way-" Sephiroth began.

"Tifa's pregnant again?" Vincent interrupted him.

"Oh I thought you knew? It wasn't induced, so to speak, like the last time. Mind you, I am the only one that can impregnate her because her womb was healed by magic cast from my body" Sephiroth said as if in challenge to the intensity of Vincent's gaze.

"What? No I have never viewed Tifa as anything more but a friend. It is normal to feel nervous before your wedding. It means you are officially spoken for" Vincent explained.

"I don't think I was ever on the market to begin with, I was kind of swept up in all this and claimed by her" Sephiroth admitted.

"Only because you chose to be. I'm proud of you. You've grown so much emotionally to allow yourself to take on a family. You'll only be nervous until you see her walking down the aisle and your eyes will mist over because she is so beautiful. I know that probably means little coming from me" Vincent said in a depreciating sort of way.

"No it does mean a lot coming from you "Sephiroth said, touched that one of Tifa's friends finally had some sort of approval for him as her spouse and recognition that he had changed. "Why are my eyes going to mist over?" He asked him with a frown.

"Are you two going to hug out your tender moment or shall I call for the car? It's nearly time for the wedding" Tseng interrupted from where he leaned against the wall, knowing full well who was related to who, even if Sephiroth didn't.

Tifa surveyed the wedding sight around her. Although she could have gone more grandiose, she wanted to keep it simple. They were getting married in their apple orchard while the tree's blossoms were in bloom, making further decorations unnecessary except for rented chairs forming an aisle where ferns had been strewn in between in lieu of an aisle runner. The homemade wedding arch was constructed of wooden sticks drapes with dried grapevines from which crystals depended and sparkled in the sun. The reception was taking place nearby under a rented tented with buffet stations provided by the caterers and the obligatory plywood dance floor complete with D.J.

It wasn't fancy as Yuffie had tried to talk her into and certainly probably wasn't the way that Sephiroth would have married if he was still a Shinra figurehead, but it was perfect for them. They had provided the wine from their own grapevines and cider from their apple orchard. Besides, with Tifa pregnant, she had wanted to get married before she showed and there was a need to keep Sephiroth out of the public eye.

Looking at everything assembled, she knew she had made the right choices and all of her decisions had been supported by her fiancé. When the sun went down, the solar powered firelights would make the entire orchard look magical.

She was very pleased with her vision come to life.

"It looks nicer than I thought it would" she stated and Yuffie agreed.

"Do you think Sephiroth will like my dress?" She asked her friend.

She wore a simple off white chiffon sheath dress held up by straps with a small train, a sheer fingertip length veil. The off white pumps and Wutai good luck charm that had been supplied by Yuffie, tied to an anklet.

For jewelry she wore only her heart shaped locket. Her hair had been arranged into an elaborate style where half of it was up and held in place by multiple crystal tipped bobby pins that sparkled in the sun and the rest fell in tendrils down her back. Her makeup had been expertly applied but was lightly applied as she didn't need much.

Yuffie examined her, her own short hair had been pinned up with jeweled pins as well and she wore a crimson bridesmaid dress, her main responsibly being to hold Renji's hand as he walked down the aisle in case the young toddler got nervous or tripped.

"If his eyes don't tear up when he sees you walking towards him, I'll kick him in the shins. You look perfect" she said to her best friend, tearing up due to her hormones.

"Don't cry Yuffie, you'll make me cry" Tifa begged her as her own eyes welled up and the two friends hugged.

"Mommy, Aunt Yuffie, look at me" Renji called and this distracted them to where the child ran in circles around a tree and they wondered how he had gotten so hyper from a single cookie.

Everyone had come to the wedding. Though the same honor had not been bestowed to her at the time, Cloud and Aerith and young Skylar, as well as Denzel, looking the very copy of Cloud at his age. They were invited and were in attendance. All that had been was water under the bridge for both couples.

Barrett had brought Marlene and since Barrett had been Tifa's oldest friend next to Cloud, would not have had it any other way. Cid and Shera were there with their twin boys as well as Rufus and the rest of the TURKS. Reeve Tuesti held Shalua Rui's hand as she'd been restored back to life. Nanaki and his now pride had come from Cosmo Canyon as well for this occasion. Shelke even sat by Yuffie in a emerald green dress and small heels.

Sephiroth sat and stared off in the distance trying not to pass out from nerves. Vincent was acting as the best man, Tseng his other groomsman.

Two shocking things has occurred for the group of Avalanche and for Sephiroth.

A young, but beautiful woman stood on Tifa's side as Vincent's pairing. She had aquamarine eyes and long brown hair. She wore her hair in an intricate wrapping of red material to the trimmings on Vincent's own tuxedo. Around her neck she wore her pearls and also a locket similar to Tifa's.

She looked like a female Sephiroth and was serving as Tifa's matron of honor.

Everyone else knew who the mystery woman was, besides Sephiroth though his mind…and his heart thought it did.

Vincent looked at the young woman appraisingly and Sephiroth couldn't help but focus on the strange woman. He knew her from somewhere, somewhere very important in his life but couldn't place it. Then there was the way that Vincent looked at the woman in sheer love.

Vincent had never had such a soft look since…he'd looked at him he realized. He wanted to ask questions but this was not the time and the wedding march music had come on causing him to snap his vision back down the aisle.

There at the end of the aisle stood a just as nervous but beautiful Tifa.

Barrett was going to walk her down the aisle but Cloud surprisingly took his place. To say that Sephiroth was surprised and so was Tifa was a understatement as Sephiroth's snowy brows disappeared behind his high bangs and Tifa looked up into Cloud's face. They began their walk down the aisle.

Sephiroth now knew what Vincent had meant. Tifa was so heartbreakingly beautiful and she was to be his for as long as they would live. As he saw her coming closer, a strange misting did start in his eyes.

He knew now.

They would be from tears. Tears of unadulterated happiness from being able to be with the one your loved and cherished.

Before Cloud released Tifa to Sephiroth, he lowly stated to both of them that Aerith and him had been foolish and were truly sorry and that no one better deserved love eternal or children no matter how unconventional, as she did. Sephiroth was going to take offense but saw that Cloud had a small smile gracing his face only for Tifa as he handed her off to Sephiroth. He promised they would catch up later.

And so the wedding was done by Rude surprisingly. He had figured he hadn't acted on the woman fast enough but he could at least be used for something as important as her wedding.

The wedding went off without a hitch. Renji had wanted to fly about like an airplane, causing Yuffie to eventually gather him up and hold him under his arms to have him produce the rings, while he wore a goofy, high grin. Tifa immediately found and locked eyes on a pair of unconcerned brown eyes in the audience as Tseng gave as good as he got back. He is clearly high on sugar, and though Sephiroth frowned and Tifa fretted, everyone in attendance found it hilarious. Before Tifa fully turned back around from Tseng's stern, dead eyed stare down, she had caught his smirking lips and the softening of his eyes as he crossed his arms. Oh she wished to Loki he would be "blessed" with triplets.

Asshat.

The mysterious woman had only eyes for the little boy and her eyes seemed to be tearing up after she'd shared a look with Vincent and one Tifa had caught, calming her instantly.

With a round of applause, Mr. and Mrs. Crescent were announced.

Vincent, Tseng and Yuffie accompanied Sephiroth, Tifa and Renji to the house to retrieve the wedding favours they had forgotten. The men and Yuffie had opted to have a drink in the kitchen away from the crowd while Tifa asked Sephiroth for his help in removing her veil and Renji had been changed out of his tux and was watching a short cartoon while waiting for his parents to return.

Getting the veil off of his wife wasn't a problem, it was being held on by a simple comb overtop of her updo but the pins proved to be tricky when Tifa decided she wanted her hair loose for the first dance. "Here, sit on my lap. It will allow me to see them better" he said sitting down on the bed and then frowned in irritation when he realized the back of her dress seemed to be fastened with millions of tiny buttons. Apparently she was going to make him work for his wedding night. Focusing on the pins, he gently removed one after the other, trying not to focus on the rounded buns of his new wife's firm bottom in his lap. Finally Tifa's wealth of chocolate brown hair tumbled down her back and he ran his fingers through it, suddenly she turned and was straddling him and kissing him all over his face. Sephiroth actually let out a giggle and gently pushed her back.

"Tifa what are you doing? We can't now. We have people present and guests to get back to" he said, feeling slightly hot and bothered by her amorous display.

"I'm drowning you in love from now on now that you're officially mine" she said playfully with a crooked grin.

"I've been yours for a long time, I don't need a wedding for that. I lov-" he said and Tifa learned that his eyes could dance with happiness just like their son's when a piercing scream split the air and both were up and running towards Renji. They burst through the door to the living room, Tifa immediately taking a defensive stance and Sephiroth had already summoned masamune to his left hand. The other door opened and Vincent and Tseng both tumbled out with their guns at the ready, followed by Yuffie with her Shuriken. All five adults looked for what was threatening the child, who had somehow managed to remove all the couch cushions from the couch and build himself a fort of sorts, he looked over the edge with his eyes wide with terror.

"What's wrong son?" Sephiroth asked him, couching down so they were face to face.

"Bug" he said pointing at multi legged millipede that was walking all over the floor and everyone just laughed while Vincent took the "threat" outside and released it into the warm evening.

That evening was full of wonderful surprises.

Renji had crashed from his sugar high and had went to bed easily allowing the adults to have an after party instead of a reception only.

Sephiroth and Vincent sat at the table together for a moment before the first dance as Sephiroth had sorted his thoughts on the mysterious woman.

"That woman…she is my birth mother, isn't she" Sephiroth stated more than asked.

"Yes she is." Vincent said, as he only had eyes for the now known Lucrecia Crescent that Sephiroth had learned of in the Lifestream from Aerith.

"You love her, have married her?" Sephiroth continued with his thinking on the subject.

"I did. Shortly after Reeve Tuesti was able to revive her, I did take her hand in marriage. It…had been a long time in coming" Vincent now pinned the man, his son with his eyes, knowing Sephiroth would work it out eventually as he was not slow in any way.

"The way you both look at Renji, it reminds you…of me does it not?" Sephiroth said with a small smirk knowing the answer and knowing the true answer to why he felt comfortable with Vincent.

"Yes…son. What can I say before I was taken away…I was always a sucker for hyper genius babies with aquamarine eyes that loved to suck their thumbs and wear their favorite footed cactuar sleepwear, holding a stuffed Moogle" Vincent said back with mirth in his voice and small smile to match Sephiroth's own.

So he had had a real family before Hojo and by the looks of things, they had loved each other.

The woman, Lucrecia, moved to the table cautiously as if she was afraid that this was a dream. She was able to come back, marry the love that she had foolishly turn down, see her child marry, and be with her grandchildren? She knew she deserved so much less for her past transgressions. She would not age…but neither would Vincent. She wouldn't be alone.

She shook herself from her thoughts and before she had even registered it, she had looped her arms around Sephiroth in a hug that was desperate and also so loving.

Sephiroth initially stiffened at the new sensation, a new person, but eventually relaxed into it.

"I'm sorry…child. I never meant for anything to turn out the way it did. I can only offer to be with you as a grown man now, know your own small children as they come along, if you would permit me" Lucrecia more or less pleaded to Sephiroth.

A lot had happened but he had found he couldn't hold on to the anger that had driven what seemed so long ago. Today was about a new chapter in his life. He now had an official wife and one child and one on the way. He had discovered his parent's histories…and they were still alive. Why would he deprive his own children of what he had had to miss? Vincent…his father had been trying all along. He was sure his mother would try any way she could as well. They had all made decisions. Some good and some not so good.

Tifa had come over to the table and had been updated as well on the status. She had always had a niggling about Vincent. Sephiroth and Vincent did favor each other looks wise. But when she'd saw Lucretia alive and flowing, he had favored his mother in looks so strongly, anyone denying that fact that they both were his parents was blind.

And so she was now known as Mrs. Crescent-Valentine.

Sephiroth and Tifa had had their first dance and it had been magnificent. She had been afraid as she knew she had two left feet but Sephiroth had led them and it was if time had stood still for the two, the rest of the world in hues and pastels and water colors as they only had eyes for each other.

Cloud and Aerith had come to the table as they had been able to put Skylar down with Renji.

Cloud had talked to Tifa about the wrong he had done to her in their marriage and had genuinely apologized for the pain and heartache he'd put her through. Later Aerith had admitted that Cloud is the one that had banned her from their wedding and not herself, though she had missed her like a cut off limb as they had been friends. She also had apologized that in her loneliness, she had did such behaviors to cost their marriage. Aerith admitted daily afterwards she worried and prayed to the Planet that Sephiroth would be swayed by Tifa into loving her, since she had been so shameful on rebirth to her second best friend.

Tifa had been hurt when she was not even invited and her friends had removed themselves from her life but to hear that Aerith tried to give her a love that would be worthy of her, not an "imposter Zachary", which Aerith admitted she would have to live with for the rest of her days with as well. Tifa was going to get upset at the statement for Cloud but Aerith had explained just how fractured Cloud was. It had taken years for Aerith to heal him mentally as even when Tifa had been married to him, traces of Cloud's, Zachary's, and Sephiroth's personality still lingered.

Tifa had understood.

Tifa hugged her friend for all it was worth and all the missed time. She discovered that she and Aerith were expecting at the same time. Tifa had not felt so complete. She had her husband, a father for both her children, ALL her friends back, and grandparents for her children to love and learn from.

She knew that Vincent and Lucrecia would love them as much as they had loved Sephiroth before fate had done its worst.

The evening was going off without a hitch and the alcohol was flowing for those who could and would partake.

Yuffie had snuck away to throw up again but remained loud and brash as ever on her return in the thick of company as everyone had gathered around and more or less just was chilling or playing cards or dominoes on the table among the men.

Tseng was heading the domino table with Rufus and the TURKS while Cloud headed the Poker table for the AVALANCHE group, including Vincent who was about to school both tables soon.

Tseng had seen his normally eager fiancée evade alcohol and had tried to shrug it off due to her being ill as of late with the stomach bug.

His senses knew better than that.

One of the servers had offer a small flute of champagne to Yuffie and her face took on an unfocused look for a moment as she denied the beverage again.

What transpired scarred several of the room, including her own fiancé as Yuffie began loudly and excitedly regaling why exactly she could not drink.

It was so hot and sweaty as we gyrated together. Guttural noises escaping each of our mouths as I was bodily forcibly moved along the soft surface with each press into me. A hand in my hair gripped it tightly as it was wound around one hand, the other ghosting down my small, but firm bosom and stomach as the arm locked into place as dark hair flowed along the sides of me and my back. Each thrust wrung a twisted, animalist sound from me until my head was turned by my hair and my mouth captured as I am moved so forcefully now that I am getting cotton burns on my knees. It's too much for my arms and I collapsed, the arm around my waist is now a hand in the middle of my back and I am still moving like as if caught in an earthquake. My hair is still used as means to control how far I go and how close we are as the thrust continue. Finally, the tight and burning coils in my stomach releases and I cry out my-

"What the actual fuck Yuffie?" Cloud said looking stricken, Barrett and Cid looking no better. Vincent only blushed magnificently as he looked on sternly at her.

Tseng had long ago dropped his dominos onto the table-in sheer shock, his face actually flaming. He was so still one couldn't tell if he was even breathing.

Rude blushed and looked down.

Rufus gave a look to Tseng like "you're an old dirty dog", and Reno was looking more than interested. Reno bolted out the tent to the house and most likely to a bathroom to handle a "problem" he'd gotten and without being murdered by Tseng outright.

Tifa, Aerith, and Lucrecia looked one in horrified awe as Sephiroth had turned to stone, wanting very badly to forget all that had been described as his highly analytical mind could see the speech as if it was- Right. In. Front. Of. Him.

The children-oh god the children stared on in mute horror and something else. Without a word Denzel grabbed Marlene's hand and fled the tent.

Barrett came to his senses enough to yell after them.

"Don't y'all be getting no ideas from old nasty pants here!" he boomed after them.

"Yuffie!" Tifa somehow gained her senses enough to whack the would be ninja on the back of the head.

"What!? I was just reliving how I got pregnant and why drinking would be bad at this time. It will be a good story one day, so I thought I would test it on the adults first" Yuffie whined.

Tseng did something no one had ever saw before after that last straw was broken. He twitched all over from head to toe at the memory of the adventures of Renji and now this news of…of his own to come?

His breath stuttered a couple times audibly, his eyes rolled up into his head and his head tilak first hit the table, dominoes be damned.

Tifa wanted to be mad, she did but it looked that Aerith beat her to what was really going to happen.

With her hand over her mouth and the other grabbing at her stomach, Aerith broke down in a peel of laughter; the hardest she had ever in her life. Tifa joined in, and eventually the whole crowd laughed along as the man knew nothing and his fiancée pouted.

Yes, it had been horrifying…for Tseng. It served him right since he was the one that was engaged to the White Rose of Wutai and self-proclaimed best ninja, Yuffie Kisaragi. What did he actually expect?

This was the ending of Tifa's and Sephiroth's Wedding and Reception.

Time passed as it did and a now seventeen months old Renji was moving around and looking just like a three-year-old. This was the only side effect they could see in Renji from Sephiroth being his father, is that the children did grow and mature at a much faster rate. Aerith had had her second child, another son and named him Claymore. She and Cloud helped watch Renji as Tifa was in the throes of labor.

Lucrecia Crescent had learned and gotten her medical degree after Rufus Shinra had allowed her to take the proper courses to convert from being a bio engineer scientist in light of her history under the title. She flourished and had become Tifa's doctor since she of course, knew her son's makeup, she could answer questions for any changes that did happen, which is why they knew why Renji grew and behaved so differently from another 17-month old's. Tifa pushed with her strength as Sephiroth was behind her this time while she birthed and Vincent stood by as a silent, supportive beacon. They had produced a daughter.

Unlike Renji, the child had all of Tifa's pigmentation: hair color, peaches and cream skin tone. The only thing was that the girl looked like Sephiroth. The baby was passed over to Sephiroth to hold for Tifa to view as well. The baby opened her eyes and it was wonderful.

Well, at least they had already figured out that Vincent was Sephiroth's father or there would have been a lot of questions right about now.

There in cradled in Tifa's lap, was a miniature female Vincent actively moving and sucking on her hand. The baby had the same crimson red eyes as her grandfather had. Vincent had stated that if the Mako had not interfered so much in Sephiroth, he too would share his eye color that his father and his father's father, and his father's father had had. As it was Sephiroth's eye color were a mixture of Lifestream and his mother's eye color. The slit pupils and the hair color were generous gifts from JENOVA, and the only gift that was worth talking about.

The girl child was named Miyuki for Vincent's mother. She was so beautiful. Sephiroth was so proud of his new child and wanted to share her with his own parents. The babe was taken over to her grandfather and very carefully she was placed into the crook of Vincent's gauntleted arm while his other fingerless gloved hand touched the rosy cheeks and he watched with uncovered joy and a quirking of his lips in a smile as the rambunctious newborn flailed about and actually smiled at him as her own rubies focused on much older and knowledgeable ones. Lucrecia had walked up to Vincent to which he looked up and graced such a wonderful smile to her and then looked back down at his granddaughter.

From simply giving one gift, one part of him he thought he never would want to give away, Sephiroth had gained the world in a whole different light.


End file.
